Melanie Vugich grew up in the New South Wales town of Broken Hill then spent time in Adelaide, Sydney and London before venturing to Italy. She fell in love with Florence and lived there for 25 years, working as a fabric designer for high-end fashion labels and painting in her spare time.

Relocating to the Sydney suburb of Bronte in 2010, Melanie now paints full-time and focuses on the still life genre, which allows her to celebrate the beauty of Australian native flowers and everyday household items.

Melanie also enjoys collaborative projects – in 2021 she was invited to design fabrics for Oscar de la Renta, one of the world’s most innovative fashion labels. She continues to collaborate with the label and her prints have been spotted on several celebrities, including Sarah Jessica Parker, Dr Jill Biden, Mariska Hargitay and Paris Hilton.

In May 2023, Melanie’s work appeared on the cover of popular Australian magazine frankie. She has also been featured by Vogue Australia and appears in STILL LIFE, by author/curator Amber Creswell Bell, which was published by Thames & Hudson Australia in 2021 and features over 40 prominent Australian artists.

Melanie’s work is held in private collections around Australia and in Denmark, Italy, France, Germany, London, Singapore and the US.